All You Need Is A Little Hope
by Sera1
Summary: Original trainer fic. Girl sets out as a trainer, with the most unusual starter of all. (This one takes the cake, people) Not complete. Please read and review. Rated for abuse, so no read if no like. Please, no flames.
1. Dragons with torn wings

Vurso: Sera doesn't own Pokemon.

Firethroat: Although she does kinda own us, because we're her muses.

Me: *Smiling. * You two are going to like this next fic.

Firethroat: How?

Me: You two are going to be characters in it.

Vurso: We are?

Me: Yep. Vurso will have the same name, but Firethroat's name in this story will be Pyro.

Firethroat: Cool.

Vurso: Anyways, please read and review this fic.

Firethroat: You better, or I'll flamethrower you into oblivion.

Me: Firethroat! Okay, just for that remark, I'm going to give both you and Vurso a handicap in this story.

Both: *Gulp. *

Me: Anyways, on with the fic!

*********************

"Shut up, you worthless piece of crap!" The small frame of the 16-year-old slammed into the wall, driven by the hit her father had given her. She crumpled to the ground and lay there, not moving.

Her father spat on her, then took another swig of his beer. "I don't know why I keep you around. All you do is eat and sleep, you lazy bitch."

The girl looked quite the opposite, however. She was very thin, almost to the point of starvation, and looked like she hadn't slept a wink in days. Dirt and blood marred and stained her skin and clothes. Bruises discolored the skin that wasn't covered in the muck.

Her father stooped, and drunkenly picked her up by her shirt. When she was hanging before him, he started slapping her and hitting her frail seeming body. Not a sound came from the girl as her father continued this treatment. After about ten minutes, he flung her away, disgusted. He walked to the door, and stumbled outside to go visit his favorite bar.

For a while, the girl didn't move from where she lay. Only the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed served to indicate that she was even alive.

Finally, she stirred. How she managed to stand, not even she knew, but she managed to stumble up the rickety old stairs and collapse on her bed. She turned her head so that she could look outside at the large, bright moon. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she silently cried. The only emotion her eyes seemed to show was _Why?_

Watching the moon, and the nocturnal Pokemon go about their business, she came to a decision. Tomorrow was the day. No more waiting. No more abuse. No more father.

With that thought, she fell into an uneasy sleep, filled with nightmares.

***

The girl woke up the next day sore, and aching in every part of her body. But she got up, and took a quick shower. The water heater had busted a few months before, and he father hadn't bothered to try to get it fixed. So she had to settle for a freezing cold shower.

She dried herself, dressed, and then packed the rest of her tiny collection of clothes into a backpack. She added a knife, a small first aid kit, and anything else she could find that she thought she might need. She didn't take any food, as the only thing left was bottles of beer, and she refused to touch those.

She silently slipped out of the house, being careful not to wake her father, who had come home sometime during the night, and was now snoring on the old couch in the living room, one of the few pieces of furniture left.

Once far enough away from the house to not be heard, she broke into a run. Her muscles protested, but she pushed herself on. She would be in a lot of pain later, but the only thing that mattered now was getting away from her old life.

***

She finally came to a halt, gasping for precious air. When she had caught her breath, she straightened.

She was outside of Professor Oak's laboratory. She hesitated, then slowly walked up the stairs.

Along the way, thought raced through her head. _Should I really do this? I don't know a thing about Pokemon._

Another part of her brain settled the argument. _Which would you rather do? Become a trainer, or go back to your father?_

When she reached the top, she was panting again, but she rang the bell anyways. A kind old man, Professor Oak, opened the door.

He didn't say anything, but merely nodded in understanding, then stood aside so that she could walk inside. He then walked down the hall to his lab. The girl followed.

When they entered the lab, the girl saw that it was filled with ten-year-olds, all looking excited. She knew that they were here for their first Pokemon. Professor Oak walked to the front of the room, while the girl stayed at the back, in the shadows.

One by one, the young boys and girls walked up to the pokeballs, and chose one. They would release their new Pokemon, and both would walk out of the room. Some were happily chatting with their Pokemon, even though they couldn't understand their new partner yet, while others just coldly ignored theirs.

One by one, the Pokeballs dwindled, until the last trainer left the room. The girl's heart sank. There were no more Pokeballs left on the table.

She turned to leave, when she felt Professor Oak's hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him.

"I saved a special one for you." He said softly. He turned and walked over to a machine that held a lone Pokeball in a depression in the middle. The girl silently followed.

"This Pokeball holds a Pokemon stronger than one that I would normally give a beginning trainer, but you're 16, and I believe that you should have him. I should warn you, though. His previous trainer abused him, and he's distrustful of humans. Although, if anyone can help him, it's you, Hope."

Hope nodded, and slowly reached out and picked up the Pokeball. To her surprise, it was warm, not cold as she had expected.

"Well, why don't you let him out, and get acquainted?" Professor Oak asked.

Hope nodded, and tossed the Pokeball out. When it touched the ground, it opened, and a white light emerged. Hope barely noticed the Pokeball returning to her hand, as she stared at her Pokemon as he took shape.

He stood much taller than her, and was almost beige in color, except for his belly, which was a cream color, and the membrane of his wings, which was green.

Hope backed away from the Dragonite. Even if she didn't know much about Pokemon, she knew two things about this one right away. One, that Dragonites were extremely powerful, and two, that this one was in terrible condition.

It was almost as thin as she was, and had what looked like just as many scars and bruises. The muscles were in poor condition, and the skin had a dull luster to it. The edges of his wings were tattered, and he was barely able to remain standing.

"We only got him in a couple of days ago." Professor Oak said. "Otherwise he would be in better condition."

At the sound of the Professor's voice, the Dragonite went berserk. It cried out and started thrashing wildly, hitting things with its tail, wings, arms, legs, anything.

Hope and the Professor backed away, and looked on helplessly.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. The girl dashed in, barely managing to avoid getting pummeled, and proceeded to pin the Dragonite to the floor. Slight as she was, she never would have been able to accomplish it, if it hadn't been in such poor condition. By pinning him, though, she was able to prevent more damage being done, to both the Pokemon and the machines. 

The Dragonite eventually tired out, and lay there, panting. Hope gently stroked his forehead, and he flinched every time her hand touched him. Hope took the time to get a little better look at him, and gasped as she looked in his eyes.

"He's blind!"

The Dragonite flinched at the words, but seemed too tired to continue struggling.

"I'm sorry, Hope… his blindness was brought about by abuse… I didn't want to give him to one of the ten-year-old trainers, because I knew that none of them have the patience that you have. And you'll need every ounce of it to help this poor fellow." Professor Oak replied sadly.

Hope nodded, unable to separate her eyes from the Dragonite's. She noted the cloudiness in his eyes that had first betrayed his condition.

She slowly stood, and helped the Dragonite stand. He had a look of deep mistrust on his face, and Hope didn't blame him.

"Even if he is blind, I'm sure he's a wonderful creature." She whispered. The Dragonite looked dubious at her words, while Professor Oak seemed happier.

"I'm sure you'll take good care of him." He said.

Hope nodded, not taking her eyes away from the Dragonite. "Does he have a name?"

"No." Prof. Oak replied.

Hope gave a very soft, slight smile. "Then I think he should have one."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

Hope thought. "I dunno… what do you think, big guy?" she asked the Dragonite.

He looked astonished that she was asking him. He closed his unseeing eyes in thought. Slowly, he reopened them, and said something in Dragonite.

Hope and Professor Oak looked completely puzzled as to what he had said. Making a decision, he walked over to a drawer and pulled out something. He walked back and placed it in Hope's hand. At her confused look, he explained. "It's a translator for Pokemon language. Just place both of them in your ears, one in each, and you should be able to understand him perfectly fine."

"Then why aren't you wearing one, Professor?"

He laughed. "Because I have to wear my hearing aid. I'm getting on in years, and my hearing isn't what it used to be."

Hope nodded hesitantly, and placed the translators in her ears. She then asked the Dragonite to repeat what he had said.

*I said, Vurso. * He said quietly.

Hope nodded and gave a tiny, sincere smile. "Vurso it is, then." Professor Oak looked puzzled, but just shrugged. He handed her some more pokeballs, some Pokegear, and other items she would need.

Hope was about to recall Vurso, but hesitated. "Vurso… I know that you can't see, but would you prefer staying out of your Pokeball? I would rather travel with you out, in case something happens."

Vurso snorted in disbelief. Here was a trainer that seemed too good to be true. He was just making up his mind when he heard a loud crash and a pained "Ow!"

Hope winced from her place, sitting on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She rubbed her aching tailbone, wincing, then slowly stood. She saw Vurso looking around for her in confusion, and said a soft "Oops…"

Vurso cocked his head in confusion.

Hope had a sheepish look on her face, even though Vurso couldn't see it. "Um… I kinda fell down the stairs…"

Vurso sweatdropped and thought to himself _Oh great… of all the trainers in the world, I have to get a clumsy one…_

Hope stood and dusted herself off, then went about thinking up how she could help Vurso get around outside his Pokeball.

After about ten minutes of thinking up ideas and discarding them, she hit upon one that seemed like it would work. Or at least compared to the others.

"Vurso…" The dozing Dragonite woke up. "I think I have an idea of how you can get around outside of your Pokeball, but I'm not sure you'll like it…" His eyes narrowed, but he nodded for her to go on.

"Umm… I was thinking… we could play Guide Growlithe, and I could direct you…" She said nervously.

*How? * Vurso asked.

"You could walk on all fours… and I could put my hand on your head, and direct you…" She backed away, just in case.

__

Just great… I'm afraid of my own Pokemon… She thought to herself.

Vurso took his time in thinking it over, then finally and reluctantly nodded. He wasn't able to come up with a better idea. He dropped, so that he was resting his weight on all fours, and waited, unsure of what was going to happen.

Hope very hesitantly and gently rested her hand on Vurso's head, his small horn poking up between her fingers. "Let's try this a few times first, before we go outside."

It didn't work very well the first couple dozen times or so. Hope would try to go one way, and Vurso another. So, they would both end up bumping into something.

They were both tired, hungry, bruised, and frustrated, by the time they finally managed to get it right. They practiced a few more times, until they could pretty much do it, although they still had a tendency to go in different directions at different speeds.

They managed to get to the door without any major mishaps, although Hope hoped (A/N: Lol) that Professor Oak wasn't particularly attached to any of his lamps and vases. 

Professor Oak met them at the door. "Good luck, Hope. And to you, too, Vurso." With that, he dropped to his knees in front of the young Dragonite, and whispered in his ear, "Take good care of her."

Vurso looked surprised, but slowly nodded in assent. Professor Oak had been pretty kind to him, so hr guessed that he might as well do as he asked, for once.

Professor Oak stood, and quickly pressed something into the girl's hand.

Hope slowly opened her hand, and gasped. That had to be at least a couple thousand dollars worth of money!

"I can't accept this! It's your money!" She protested.

Professor Oak shook his head. "Ah, I don't need it. People keep paying me for things, and I might as well find a good use for all that money. You need it a lot more than I do." With that, he turned around and went back inside, before she could protest any more.

Hope hesitated, then slowly put the money in her pocket, and turned to Vurso. Placing her hand upon his head, they slowly made their way down the stairs.

After a quick stop to buy groceries, during which Vurso nearly freaked because of all the people, they set out on the long road to Viridian City.

*********************

Me: Short, I know, but we had to get her started out, first!

Vurso: YOU MADE ME BLIND?!

Me: Yes, now chill.

Firethroat: Why am I not in it yet?

Me: Because they haven't met you yet.

Vurso: … Anyways, please review, and tell us what you think!

Firethroat: Yeah, tell us if Sera should go on with this story!

Me: And we've set a limit. Ten good reviews, and I'll start writing the next chapter!

Firethroat: So review, and be nice, or I'll toast your butts with a Flamethrower.

Vurso: -_-' Why did I have to get stuck with this guy as my partner muse?

Me: No clue. Anyways, everyone, please review, and be nice!


	2. Understanding

Me: Sorry this took so long, but we all had major writer's block concerning this, and we were also concentrating on our other stories.

Firethroat: And… umm… yeah. What she said.

Me: *Glares at Vurso and Firethroat. * You're lucky I'm letting you help at all, after that stunt you pulled.

Both: Eep.

Vurso: Umm, anyways, we don't own Pokemon.

Firethroat: *Sees me getting mad now. * ON WITH THE FIC! *He and Vurso fly away very fast. *

*********************

Vurso groaned and stopped, nearly pitching Hope on the ground, because she didn't stop fast enough.

"What is it?" She asked tiredly. She had given the translator back to Professor Oak before she left, so she didn't know what Vurso's reply was.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand…" Vurso sighed and handed her one of his forepaws. She turned it over to see that it was red and swollen.

"I'm guessing you want to stop to rest…" Vurso muttered something that even Hope could translate as *No shit, Sherlock. *

Hope snorted and replied, "No need to get all mad about it."

Vurso replied with something that Hope guessed was *Then what do you suggest I do, genius, if you're so smart! *

"I never said I was smart, and how should I know what you should do!"

*YOU'RE MY TRAINER! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW! * Even Hope couldn't mistake the meaning of that.

"I'VE NEVER TRAINED A POKEMON BEFORE! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TO DO!I ONLY DID THIS TO…" Hope decided that this was the right point to shut up.

*Do what? Make a Pokemon's life miserable? * Vurso said bitterly. Hope didn't stop to think about how she could understand him.

"No… I would never do that… that's just cruel."

*My former trainer seemed to live by that saying… * Vurso said, sitting down with his back to Hope.

Hope's fists clenched, and she shuddered at the thought… and at her memories of what she herself had gone through…

"Vurso…"

*What? * Vurso asked bitterly.

"If I ever meet your former trainer, I swear, there will not be enough of him left to fill a Pokeball after I'm through with him…"

*Why the sudden ferocity? * Vurso asked, turning his head towards the general direction of his new trainer.

"I… I have my reasons…" Hope didn't feel comfortable telling him, or anyone for that matter, about her past.

Vurso snorted in disgust. *Okay, fine, be that way. I tell you about my past, and you don't even tell me why you seem so eager to toss my former trainer into the mouth of the nearest Gyarados. *

Hope sighed sadly, and turned away. Vurso heard her footsteps fade a bit, then the noises of her sitting down on something. And then, silence, or so he thought.

A soft, almost inaudible sound reached his sensitive ears. He turned his head, trying to locate it, and found that it was coming from the direction of Hope. Once he found where it was coming from, he discovered what it was.

Crying… Hope was crying… and Vurso knew that he was the reason… or, at least, he thought he was.

He stood unsteadily on all fours, and slowly walked over in Hope's direction, testing the ground carefully before putting a foot down. He stopped when his nose bumped softly into Hope, so softly, in fact, that she didn't notice.

*Hey. * He could feel Hope jump, and he winced. *I'm… I'm sorry about what I said earlier… *

"No… it's not your fault." He heard her sniffle. "It's mine…"

*How is it your fault? * Vurso asked.

Hope opened her mouth, then closed it again, almost saying _Because I was born._ Instead, she said, "I wasn't able to answer you…"

*Hey, I told you, it's okay. * Vurso heard Hope whimper softly in response, and awkwardly pulled her into a hug. He felt her clutch at him and cry even harder into his chest scales. He made what he felt were soft, soothing sounds in his throat.

Finally, Hope's sobs subsided, and she fell into an exhausted sleep. Vurso curled about his trainer, and laid a wing across her. He laid his head over the tip of his tail, and kept nervously sniffing at the air and raising his head to listen.

During their talk, a bond had formed between the Dragonite and the human girl. They were so much alike, that they couldn't help but become friends.

The two abused souls had found kindred spirits. And, although they didn't know it, they would be joined by others like them along their journey to greatness.

*********************

Vurso: Aww…

Firethroat: I'm gonna be sick…

Me: *Glares at them. *

Both: *Scram. *

Me: Okay, reviewers, could you please name some disabilities in your reviews? I really need physical ones. Now, with that said, please review, and the next chapter should be out within a couple of weeks. Again, sorry for the delay, and the short chapter. Firethroat should come in as Pyro in the next chapter.


	3. Grounded Flame

Me: Sorry this took so long to get out, but we were kinda busy.

Vurso: And the envelope… *Firethroat hands a sealed envelope to Vurso. * Thank you. And the verdict is… WE DON'T OWN POKEMON!

Firethroat: Just to let all my fans know, I will be appearing in this chapter as Pyro!

Vurso: -_-' What fans?

Firethroat: Those fans right… over… there… *Points to empty stands. *

Vurso: I thought so. Okay. Now, on with the fic!

*********************

Vurso sighed. *Can we please stop? I'm starting to get tired. *

"We stopped for a rest five minutes ago!"

*And your point is? * Hope blinked, and then started to laugh.

"Oh, all right. But only for a little bit." Vurso gave a small smile at having won the argument, and proceeded to plop himself down in the middle of the road. Hope merely sighed and stood next to the young Dragonite, waiting for him to recover.

After a few minutes, Vurso's head cocked to the side, and he had a funny look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

*Shh… I thought I heard something. Wait… there it is again… * Vurso whispered. This time, Hope though she heard a long, low moan of pain. It was hard to tell, though.

"Why don't we go see what's wrong?"

*But I'm not rested yet… * Vurso whimpered, putting on his best pitiful look. Hope sighed and held out Vurso's pokeball, the only one she had.

"You can rest in your pokeball, while I go look." Vurso didn't protest, so she managed to activate it, after a little trial and error, and he was sucked in with a flash of red light.

Hope sighed and hooked the pokeball to her belt, then walked off the road into the forest in the direction she thought the sound had come from.

After about an hour of searching, Hope literally stumbled across what was making the noise.

And found a Charizard.

Hope stumbled back with a scream bubbling in her throat, before realizing that the poor thing was in no condition to attack.

Wounds covered every part of his body, many of them still seeping blood, while the other, smaller ones were clotted over. It was much too thin, and its hide was a sickly yellow-white color. Its wings were much smaller than a normal Charizard's, and were crumpled to its back.

It moaned again, and Hope hesitantly knelt next to its head, and lifted it so that she could examine its face.

The Charizard's eyes were swollen shut, and multiple wounds covered his face and neck, some of them still bleeding.

Hope gently lay his head down again, and backed up a couple steps before releasing Vurso.

After Hope explained the situation and the extent of the Charizard's injuries, Vurso got a thoughtful look on his face.

*We certainly need to get this poor fellow to a Pokemon Center, but he's too heavy for us to carry… so… Put him in my pokeball, and we'll go from there. *

Hope looked at the Pokeball she still held in her hand. "I can do that?"

*Yeah. My… * Vurso grew quieter, *Previous… trainer… used to do it a lot… *

While privately wondering why, Hope gently tapped the pokeball against the Charizard, and watched at it was sucked in. It didn't even struggle, and Hope gently picked the pokeball up.

"So… how do we get there?"

*I'm working on it! * Vurso answered, irritated.

After a few more minutes of thought, Vurso sighed. *There's no help for it. We'll have to. *

"Have to what?"

In answer, Vurso turned his back, spread his wings, and said, *Climb on. *

Hope just stood there, frozen. When she managed to get her voice back, he reaction wasn't exactly what Vurso had been expecting.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU CAN'T FLY WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING! YOU'LL KILL ALL THREE OF US!"

Vurso sighed. *I thought it would be obvious. I fly with you guiding me. *

"AND THAT'S EVEN STUPIDER! REMEMBER HOW HARD IT WAS FOR US TO LEARN TO WALK TOGETHER! AND WE WON'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE IF WE FAIL ON THIS!"

Things were starting to click in Vurso's mind, though. *You're afraid of heights, aren't you? *

"That's besides the point…"

Vurso sighed. *Hope… please… if not for me, then for him… he won't last much longer… *

Hope paused, warring with herself. Finally, she ran forward and leapt up onto Vurso's back. "I'll just blame you if we crash and die."

Vurso laughed as Hope gently used her hands and knees to turn him to where they would have room to take off.

Vurso spread his wings wider, and felt the gentle breeze against them. It brought back fond memories, and he automatically flapped, making them all rise about a half a foot from the ground.

Another, stronger flap, and they shot up through the trees, into the air above them.

Vurso began circling for height, while Hope scanned the surrounding area for a Pokemon Center, or a city, or _something._

Finally, in the distance, she saw a glint from the sun on something shiny. Hope gently turned Vurso in that direction, and said, "That way!"

Vurso smiled. *Okay. Hang on. * Hope thought he was joking, but thought it best to do so, anyways.

It was best she did. For all that he was out of practice, Vurso was still a Dragonite, with a Dragonite's inherent speed in flying, and in his prime, Vurso had been one of the fastest.

In less than five minutes, they were hovering over the city, while Hope scanned for a Pokemon Center. Finally spotting one in a corner of the city, she urged Vurso in that direction.

Hope sighed in relief when they were finally on the ground, and hopped off of Vurso's back.

"Nurse Joy!" She shouted as she ran through the doors. "Nurse Joy! It's an emergency!"

The Nurse came in, about to scold Hope, but stopped stock still when Hope released the Charizard.

"I found him like this in the woods. Please, you've got to help him…" After calling over her shoulder for a stretcher, the Nurse assured Hope that they would try their best.

Hope sighed as she walked outside and sat down next to Vurso, who was resting. "We're never doing that again, okay Vurso? No more flying."

Vurso merely nodded, and turned his head away so Hope wouldn't see the hurt look on his face. He had loved the feeling of being in the air again, and had loved even more the fact that it had been Hope directing him.

With anyone else, he would have been unsure, and that would have spelled disaster. He trusted Hope so much, that he had followed her directions without hesitation.

__

Is this what it feels like to have a good trainer? To trust them, and love them, and you would do anything for them? He mused. Another thought struck him. _I wonder what it would be like to be directed in battle by her…_ Vurso turned his head until his nose gently touched his trainer's thigh. Hope absently petted him on his head, off in her own world.

__

I know that she could be the best, if she wished… she doesn't have to stay around with me… she could just catch a Pokemon, and abandon me… so why hasn't she?

Vurso sighed. _I can't believe I'm so lucky to have a trainer like her… she deserves better…_

Right then and there, Vurso came to a decision. _I'll make sure she is the best. I'll help her get together the best team this side of Kanto. And we'll all make sure that she will be the best out there._

With that decided, Vurso drifted off to sleep.

***

Finally, Nurse Joy came outside, and walked over to Hope and Vurso, waking them both up.

"The Charizard you brought in is doing just fine. If you would like to go see him, it would be all right."

The both nodded, and stood, Hope automatically putting her hand on Vurso's head to guide him. In this manner, they both followed the Nurse.

The Charizard was awake, and turned his head to look at them as they came in. What surprised Hope, though, was that she could understand him.

*Are you the ones who saved me? *

They both nodded, and he smiled slightly. *Thanks. I would have died out there. I owe you one. *

"So…" Hope said, sitting in a chair beside the Charizard's bed. "Feeling better."

*Better than I was. *

Hope smiled, and hesitantly reached out to rub behind the Charizard's horns. "Why were you out there, anyways?"

The Charizard's expression grew grave. *My trainer left me there. I was of no use for him, because I can't fly. And that was his fault. I broke both of my wings in a battle, and he didn't take me to get them fixed until it was too late. From then on, I was a burden to him, and he finally left me in that forest. *

"I'm sorry…" Hope said softly.

The Charizard shook his head, like he was shaking out bad thoughts, and said, *It's not your fault. Like I said, I owe you one for helping me. *

The wheels in Vurso's head were turning, and he turned to Hope. *Could you please leave the room for a few minutes? I have something I want to discuss with him. *

Hope nodded and quietly left. Once he was sure she was gone, Vurso turned to the Charizard.

*Why don't you join up with us? I'm my trainer's only Pokemon, and she needs more, although she won't admit it. And she is a good trainer. She's the first and only person I trust ever since my last trainer. *

*What happened? * The Charizard's interest was piqued.

*I was abused, same as you, only I went blind. Still am, for a matter of fact. *

*Oh… I'm sorry… *

*Don't be. Hope helps me to get around, and she's a good person, like I said. You see, the thing is, she could easily be the best out there. Only, I can't exactly battle, and she needs more Pokemon. That's where you come in. *

*But I'm useless without my wings. *

*No you're not. You're just like a big Charmeleon or something. And, to be honest, I would prefer some backup, to help me protect Hope. *

*Hope… that's her name? *

*Yeah. *

The Charizard quietly murmured, *It suits her… * Before sticking out paw for Vurso to shake. *Your trainer has a Charizard on her team. *

Vurso smiled, and shouted that it was okay for Hope to come back in.

Once she came in, she asked, "You two have a good talk?"

Vurso smiled and nodded. *He said he'll come with us. * At the stunned look on Hope's face, he laughed.

"Okay…" Hope said slowly. She hesitantly started stroking the Charizard's neck. "You're sure you want to come with us? You won't be able to battle much, I'm afraid…"

*I'm sure. And the name's Pyro, in case you were wondering. *

Hope smiled. "Well, Pyro, I'll try to be a better trainer than your last one."

Pyro smiled, his first true smile in a long time. *I have a feeling you will be… *

*********************

Me: *Sighs. * That was a terror to write.

Vurso: Well, please review, everyone.

Firethroat: *Crying. *

Me: What's with him?

Vurso: He's crying because he doesn't have any fans.

Me: Oh… *Smiles and hugs Firethroat. * How about a trip to Braums?

Firethroat: *Sniffling. * Can I have a banana split?

Me: You can have as many as you want.

Firethroat: *Still sniffling. * Well… okay… I guess…

Me: Please review, if only just to try to cheer up Firethroat. Okay guys, let's go. *We all walk (or fly) off to get some ice cream. *


	4. A shocking event

Me: Sorry about not updating for so long, but I've had a lot to deal with.

Vurso & Firethroat: *Whistle innocently. *

Me: And, of course, my muses haven't been doing their job… *Glares at the two dragons. *

Both: Eep.

Me: *Sighs. * Okay, in this chapter, Hope will gain two more Pokemon for her team. And no more suggestions for disabled Pokemon. I already have the team planned out. And Gary fans are so gonna kill me after this chapter…

Firethroat: I think you would know by now that we don't own Pokemon. If we did, I would have a swimming pool full of ice cream! *Drools. *

Vurso: *Sweatdrops. * He just keeps getting weirder and weirder…

Me: Yep.

Vurso: Anyways, on with the fic.

*********************

Hope stopped for a moment to stretch her aching arms before continuing down the dusty path people actually called a route. She was on her way to Pewter City, and, as she didn't plan on challenging the gym, she found no reason to hurry. Besides, the faster she completed her journey, the sooner she would arrive back at Pallet Town. She shuddered when she though of what her father would do when he caught her.

She looked down at the two pokeballs hanging from her side. Vurso and Pyro had opted to rest for a while, and she didn't mind all that much. After all, sometimes a girl needed time to think.

Hope gently placed a hand on the two Pokeballs and whispered, "I just hope you two will be able to protect me when we get back…" She doubted it though. Her father had been a Pokemon trainer when younger, and he still had some of his old Pokemon. And she knew that they were strong. Stronger than Vurso and Firethroat combined.

Her father had been the Pokemon Master for a short amount of time, before her father's rival defeated him. As far as she knew, her father's rival hadn't been defeated yet, and his two best friends had become part of the Elite Four.

Hope was startled out of her thoughts by someone saying, "I'm Max Johnson (A/N: Sorry if anyone out there has this name. I was just picking names out of thin air.) from Pewter City! And I challenge you to a match!"

Hope looked up to see a twelve-year-old boy blocking the path ahead.

"Uh… sorry, but I…" It was at this point that one of her Pokeballs burst open, and Pyro appeared in a flash of white light.

*Accept. * He told her.

"Wha? I can't!"

*Of course you can. I can still battle, and I miss it. Besides, we do need to battle to get stronger if we're going to defeat the League. *

"Just who said we were gonna try?"

*We did, now accept! * The Charizard growled.

"Fine, fine… " Hope muttered. She then raised her voice for her next words. "I am Hope Oak, from Pallet Town, and I accept your challenge!"

Max, who had looked confused up till now, grinned. "Great. A two on two match. I choose Pikachu!" He tossed a Pokeball out onto the path.

The Pokeball split open to reveal a scruffy looking Pikachu, that looked around, confused.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Pyro…" Hope muttered before beckoning Pyro forward. The Charizard had a grin on his face as he stepped forward to face his opponent.

The Pikachu gulped, and started shaking where it was standing.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

For some reason, though, the Pikachu didn't move.

"Come on, Pikachu, do something! Thundershock, Tackle, anything!" Max yelled.

"Um… Pyro… what attacks do you know?" Hope whispered.

*Everything up to Fire Spin. * The Charizard whispered back.

"Okay… um…" Hope thought back to the battles that she had seen her father have when he used his Arcanine. "Flamethrower!"

The Pikachu looked up to see a pillar of flame headed straight at it.

"Pikachu, dodge!" Max yelled. But it didn't move.

*Roast Pikachu, anyone? * Pyro commented as Max recalled the scorched Pokemon.

The boy clenched his fists, before unhooking another Pokeball from his belt. "Scyther!"

The white light faded to reveal an old, battleworn Scyther. There were small chips on the edges of its wings and blades, and gray starting to show on its muzzle. Its eyes had a tired, pained look.

"Pyro, go easy on it. It looks like it's at the end of its rope." Hope whispered. The Charizard nodded.

"Scyther, Skull Bash!" Max called. The Scyther slowly got into the position necessary to use the attack, and each movement looked painful.

"Flame Wheel!" Hope called. The Scyther didn't even get a chance to launch its attack, as Pyro easily put it out of commission.

"We actually won?" Hope whispered to herself. She actually didn't know all that much about directing a Pokemon in battle. All the knowledge she had she got from watching other trainers battle over the years, and that was nothing compared to actually doing it yourself.

Pyro roared in triumph, shooting a flamethrower into the air before turning back to Hope. Smiling, the 16-year-old gently took his large head in her hands and rubbed behind his horns.

"Why did you tell me you were so strong?" She chided gently, happier than she had been for a long time. Maybe, just maybe, Pyro would be strong enough to protect her.

Pyro was about to reply, when they heard a loud crack, and a cry of pain. They turned to see something that no one should ever have to witness, or experience.

Max was standing there with a whip in his hand, looming over the cowering Scyther and Pikachu. "I'll teach you to loose!" The whip came down, opening a wound on the Pikachu's back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hope asked, horrified.

"Teaching these two a lesson. Maybe then they won't loose a battle for me again." The boy growled, and brought the lash down on the Scyther's back, earning a cry of pain.

"Scyyyyy…" Tears started leaking from the poor Pokemon's eyes.

Hope winced in sympathy. She knew how much it hurt. It wasn't just the physical pain… it was receiving it from someone that was supposed to love, and protect you.

Suddenly, a rage filled the girl, the likes of which she had never felt. Pyro gulped in fear at the fire that burned in his trainer's hazel eyes.

A few strides, and she was yanking the whip out of the boy's hand, and waving it threateningly above her head. "WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO BEAT YOUR POKEMON! IT WASN'T THEIR FAULT THEY LOST! I SHOULD GIVE YOU A FEW WHACKS WITH THIS, TO SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!"

Max made a strangled cry, and decided it would be safer if he ran for his life. Which he did, leaving his two Pokemon behind.

Hope's anger slowly faded, to be replaced by a drained feeling. Her hand dropped to her side, and the whip fell from her fingers.

*Pewter City is only about half a mile away… we should take these two to the Pokemon center for some treatment. * Pyro murmured, indicating the two Pokemon that lay gasping by Hope's feet.

She slowly nodded, her brain not quick to comprehend things, and gently picked the Pikachu up. It shuddered in her arms, and she gently rubbed it behind its ears to try to soothe it. "It's okay. We're gonna get you healed up." It didn't acknowledge her words.

Pyro carefully picked up the Scyther, making sure to not hurt himself or it.

They started their walk to Pewter City, knowing that two lives rested in their hands.

*********************

Me: Cliffie… kinda. Yes, I know, I'm bad at cliffhangers.

Firethroat: Oh, and we've noticed that we haven't given a description of Hope yet, so I might as well right now.

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 102 lbs.

Hair: Light reddish brown.

Eyes: Hazel, with flecks of blue and gold in them.

Clothes: Old, worn, comfortable jeans with a couple small tears in them, battered old sneakers, a worn jean jacket a size or two too large, and a white T-shirt.

General Appearance: Her hair is medium length, and kept in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. She has lightly tanned skin, with a few freckles across her nose. She's too thin, and her baggyish clothes make her look smaller than she actually is. She has high cheekbones, and looks kinda like a female, prettier version of Gary. Thankfully, she doesn't act like him.

Vurso: And for those of you that haven't figured it out yet, Gary Oak is Hope's father. *Ducks things thrown by Gary fans. *

Me: Please review, if only to flame us about making Gary Hope's dad. And sorry for this being late. Like I said, my muses haven't been doing their job.

Both: *Decide it would be safer to leave. *

Firethroat: Please review.


	5. We're all in hot water literally

Firethroat: We no own, you no sue. Gettit? Gottit? Good.  
  
Me: *Glares at Firethroat.* You know what to do. So do it.  
  
Firethroat: *Grumbles as he lays down in front of my computer, in the place where my favorite chair used to be. It now resides in chair-heaven.*  
  
Me: *Sits on his back as I start to type.* It's your own fault for breaking my chair. It wasn't designed to hold a dragon.  
  
Firethroat: If I knew that, I wouldn't have sat in it. My tail's still sore from that fall.  
  
Vurso: *Pokes his head in, and cracks up.* What did you do this time to make her mad, buddy?  
  
Firethroat: Shut up.  
  
Vurso: Make me.  
  
Firethroat: *Sends a flamethrower at his partner, which misses and sets the wall on fire.*  
  
Me: *Whacks him on the head.* The house is flammable, you know! Vurso, would you be so kind as to put the fire out?  
  
Vurso: *Nods and uses a water gun to put out the flames.*  
  
Me: Thanks big guy. *To Firethroat.* And for that, you have to be my chair for the rest of the week.  
  
Firethroat: *Whimpers.* My poor back.  
  
Me: *Growls.* WHAT WAS THAT?  
  
Firethroat: Nothing. nothing at all.  
  
Vurso: *Walks out, snickering.* On with the fic.  
  
  
  
***  
  
Hope whimpered softly as she buried her face further into the soft skin on the back of Pyro's neck, as well as getting a tighter grip on the Charizard.  
  
"Hope, I know that you don't like heights, but can you let me breathe?" The fire type rasped. Hope let up by a couple millimeters.  
  
"Why did we have to take the mountain path through Mt. Moon again?" Hope asked, not opening her eyes.  
  
"Because it's the only one." Pyro replied as he walked on. "Vurso's lucky. He doesn't have to carry a terrified teenager on his back all the way over a mountain."  
  
"He offered to fly me over." Hope replied with a shudder.  
  
"Why are you so afraid of heights, anyways?" Pyro asked as he trudged onwards.  
  
"Bad incident with a Pidgeot when I was a little kid." Hope said, shaking.  
  
"What happened?" Pyro asked, concerned.  
  
"My. father. put me on his Pidgeot's back, and a pokemon startled it, and it took off. I fell from thirty feet up."  
  
"Ouch." He winced at the thought.  
  
"No kidding. I spent a month in the hospital."  
  
Pyro decided to let it drop. She was getting more and more nervous as it was.  
  
Hope sighed as she released one of her arms from the death grip on her Charizard's neck, and dropped her hand to the two new poke balls on her belt. Blade. Shockwave. just what did you two go through at the hands of that. that. beast?  
  
After healing the Pikachu and the Scyther, they had been so grateful that they had begged to come along. Well, at least the Scyther had. It turned out that Shockwave was actually deaf. And poor Blade, which was the name she had given the new bug type member of the team, had a severe case of arthritis, even though he was actually relatively young.  
  
Hope was jolted out of her thoughts by Pyro's voice. "There's a hot springs up ahead. Want to stop there to camp for the night?"  
  
"Uh. yeah, sure, why not? But aren't you afraid of water?"  
  
"Nope. Love it." The Charizard said with a grin.  
  
Hope's jaw dropped, and she stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding me, aren't you?"  
  
"Nuh-uh."  
  
"Why is it that I get the weird Pokemon? A Dragonite with a phobia of humans, a Charizard that loves water, a Scyther that wants to be a college professor and that claims to have been a barber in another life (LONG story), and a Pikachu with an obsession with mustard (another long story)." Hope groaned and hit her head against Pyro's back. "Why me?"  
  
"So I take it we're stopping at the hot springs."  
  
"Go ahead." She sighed.  
  
"Woo-hoo!" Pyro dashed ahead, nearly throwing Hope to the ground, and dove into one of the pools, completely drenching himself and his trainer. He surfaced and leaned against the side with a sigh, making sure to keep the end of his tail out of the water. With a soft growl, Hope released Pyro from the rest of her death grip, and climbed out of the water, dripping wet. She wrung her hair out with a glare at the happy dragon, and gathered the three poke balls that held the rest of the team in one hand. Enlarging and tossing them out one by one, Vurso, Blade, and Shockwave made their appearance.  
  
"We're gonna camp at these hot springs tonight, guys. That okay with all of you?" Vurso and Blade nodded, while Shockwave just started rooting around in Hope's backpack for the mustard. Thankfully, it was waterproof, and everything inside was dry.  
  
Hope sat down beside the Pikachu, grabbed the mustard bottle, and handed it to him to keep him out of the way while she set up camp. Half an hour later, she had a small tent set up, her sleeping bag rolled out, and a small amount of firewood, provided by a thoughtful (and aching) Blade.  
  
"Hey, Pyro, the fire needs a little lovin' here!" Blade shouted at the relaxing Charizard. He had to move out of the way to avoid the fireball Pyro threw at him for interrupting his nap.  
  
Hope sweat dropped. "Well, at least we have the fire going." Deciding not to press her luck, she got out the large, collapsible pot that she used to make their meals with. It was a lot easier to just make one huge meal, instead of several small ones. Blade took care of slicing up the vegetables and meat, while Hope made multiple trips to a cold, fresh spring about a hundred yards away. After everything was in the pot and cooking, Hope sighed and decided to take a dip herself. The momentary dip she had had earlier, courtesy of Pyro, had been heaven (though she would never admit it.)  
  
Not even bothering to change, she slowly slipped in the water in between Vurso and Pyro. A soft sigh came from her as she lay back against the stone. Shockwave trotted over, finally having had his fill of the mustard, and nudged his head under her chin. Hope raised her hand to lazily scratch his useless ears, and he gave a soft sigh of contentment as he lay down next to the edge.  
  
Hope closed her eyes and leaned against Vurso, using him as a pillow as she dozed. She was exhausted. She had walked for all but the last hour in traveling, and the rest of the time, she was holding on so tightly to Pyro that her muscles didn't even get a rest then.  
  
Without even opening her eyes, Hope muttered. "Don't even THINK about it."  
  
An amazed Blade pulled his scythe away from her hair, and muttered, "How does she DO that?" before going to sit on the other side of the pool they were all sharing and sulk.  
  
After about ten minutes of silence, Vurso yawned and said sleepily, "How is it that you're able to be in the water, Pyro?"  
  
The Charizard shifted to a more comfortable position before answering. "That's a common misconception about fire types. We can be in water, but it's harder for those of us that actually have flames. As long as our flames don't touch the water, we're fine." And then he launched into a long lecture about how the sulfur-whatever and the carbon-thingy had a negative reaction to the hydrogen bonds in the water. At least, that's what they managed to piece together.  
  
Hope raised an eyebrow. "Uh. we'll just take your word for it."  
  
Vurso, Pyro, and Blade burst out laughing, while Shockwave looked on, confused. Seeing his new trainer's hurt expression, he crawled into her arms, gently nudged his head under her chin, and growled at the other pokemon. His expression clearly said 'You should be ashamed of yourselves.'  
  
That brought Hope to remembering something that she had picked up for the Pikachu back in Pewter City. She wasn't really expecting it to work, but she had to try.  
  
Hope climbed out of the warm water, shivering in the cool mountain air before she grabbed the only towel she had with her and dried herself off. She hung it up to dry, in a place that the pokemon could easily reach (no matter what they said, all three of them smelled like wet dogs when they were wet).  
  
After checking the stew, Hope grabbed a book from her pack, picked up Shockwave, and set him down in front of her. She opened the book, and Shockwave got a good look at the title.  
  
Sign Language for Dummies  
  
Oh lord. the Pikachu thought to himself. This is not going to be pretty.  
  
And it wasn't. Despite the fact that Shockwave could read, that in itself a rarity, progress was still slow. Hope proved to be nearly hopeless at learning sign language, and it didn't help that Shockwave picked them up easily. Soon, it was the other way around. Shockwave was teaching Hope.  
  
Pyro found this highly amusing, and soon laughter could be heard all the way down the mountain.  
  
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. You'll be learning this, too." Hope growled at him. Pyro was the only other one that could reasonably learn to do it. Blade couldn't, for obvious reasons, and Vurso wouldn't be able to see them.  
  
"Eep." The Charizard said, putting his head close to the water.  
  
"Darn straight." Hope muttered as she went back to her lessons.  
  
After an hour, Hope had managed to learn ten of the simplest signs, and by that time, the food was ready. The pokemon reluctantly climbed out of the water, and Hope noticed that Blade was moving much easier by now.  
  
Hmm. hot springs equals relief for Blade. I should pick up some mineral rocks in Cerulean City for him.  
  
Hope was jolted out of her thoughts by the Pokemon all diving at their dinner, and she had to scramble to get some for herself. Eating times were free for alls, and if you weren't quick enough, you didn't get much.  
  
Hope didn't pretend to be a cook, and Pyro often teased her on her lack of cooking skills, but the stew was edible, and filling. Besides, Hope had to eat it, too, and that was a comfort to the hungry pokemon. Though Vurso was seriously considering selling some of Hope's cooking to the government, to help them develop a powerful poison to use in warfare.  
  
After the last of the stew was eaten (The pokemon were all still trying to figure out how you could mess up something so SIMPLE), Hope recalled all of them except Shockwave into their Poke balls, and crawled, tired, into her tent. She slowly slipped into her sleeping bag, and Shockwave curled up at her back. A couple yawns later, and they were asleep.  
  
Outside, the stars glimmered silently as a cool wind picked up. A light purple, cat-like pokemon silently floated down from his hiding place to land on a pile of rocks about ten feet high. His amethyst eyes glittered as he silently observed the quiet campsite.  
  
Interesting. very. interesting. he thought to himself before lifting into the air and flying off.  
  
***  
  
Me: Phew. this took a while.  
  
Firethroat: Can you get off my back now, Sera?  
  
Me: *Sighs.* Fine. *Climbs off my Muse's back.*  
  
Firethroat: *Tries to straighten, and cries out in pain.* OH MY ACHING BACK!!!!  
  
Vurso: *Runs in because of the screaming.* Who died?  
  
Firethroat: THAT STUPID GIRL THAT WE'RE ASSIGNED TO BROKE MY BACK!!!!  
  
Vurso: *Sweat drops.* Firethroat, it's your fault that you broke her favorite chair, you know.  
  
Firethroat: *Sobs.* Everyone's against me.  
  
Me: *Hits him upside the head.* Stop being such a big baby. Go lay down, and use a heating pad on your back.  
  
Firethroat: *Sniffles as he goes to his room.* Meanie.  
  
Vurso: *Blinks.* Whoa. I never thought I'd see the day that Firethroat called someone a meanie.  
  
Me: *Shrugs.* Anyways, finished with the chapter.  
  
Vurso: Cool. *Reads it.* Hey, why did you bring *I suddenly throw my hand over his mouth.*  
  
Me: Don't give it away. He's gonna be the main love interest of Hope in the story, if I have my way.  
  
Vurso: *Shakes my hand off.* Oh, come on, it's obvious that it's Mewtwo.  
  
Me: *Glares at the Dragonite.*  
  
Vurso: Uh. I'll just go. and. help Firethroat with his back, yeah. *He goes into Firethroat's room, and suddenly a loud whack is heard.*  
  
Firethroat: OWWWWW! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FO. hey, my back feels much better now! Thanks buddy!  
  
Me: *Sweat drops and sighs.* Muses. can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. *Uploads the chapter.* Firethroat: Please review, people, or Sera will extend my sentence to a month!  
  
Me: FIRETHROAT!!!!  
  
Firethroat: Uh, gotta go. *Dashes out the window, his exit followed by the angry curses of his assigned author.* 


End file.
